NFL Brings AI to the Sideline with Microsoft Copilot

The NFL and Microsoft have kicked off a new chapter in their long-standing partnership, bringing AI directly onto the field with the rollout of Copilot-powered Surface devices across every team sideline. At the core of the upgrade are over 2,500 Surface Copilot+ PCs - branded prominently and integrated into the league’s Sideline Viewing System - spanning 32 teams, 1,800 players, and over 1,000 coaches and staff.

On game day, coaches and players can tap into GitHub Copilot features that filter plays by key scenarios - down and distance, penalties, scoring plays - making it faster to identify formations and coverages in real time. Meanwhile, analysts in the booth benefit from a Microsoft 365 Copilot-powered dashboard, which accelerates spreadsheet analysis on personnel groupings and snap counts.

Rams head coach Sean McVay praised the efficiency gains: “Microsoft Copilot enhances our efficiency and accuracy by breaking down complex data into digestible insights that can be quickly communicated to our players and help them realize their highest potential.”=

Meanwhile, Deputy CIO Aaron Amendolia underlined the system's reliability in all conditions: “The device has to work in all these conditions… we’ve built security into the designs of our applications, and that the AI has governance and security and trust around it.”

Beyond game strategy, AI is making waves in off-field operations too. At the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, scouts used an Azure AI Foundry-powered app to generate real-time insights on over 300 prospects - a major step forward in talent evaluation. Internally, Microsoft and the NFL are developing AI dashboards to manage game-day operations - such as weather-related delays or equipment issues - and Azure AI video tools for analysing practices, injury assessments, and draft evaluations. Individual teams are already tapping Copilot in broader ways - like marketing, promotions, fan engagement, and even internal video review to streamline workflows.

As NFL CIO Gary Brantley put it: “We are entering a new era of innovation… Microsoft has been a trusted sideline technology partner for over a decade… there are tremendous opportunities to elevate the game-day experience for our clubs and deliver an even more compelling product to our fans.”

Bryson Gordon, Microsoft’s Corporate VP of Global Marketing, echoed the ambition: “Extending our work together is more than just a football story, it’s a blueprint for transformation.”

This expansion signals a broader rethinking of AI’s role in elite sport - from passive data providers to real-time strategic allies. Whether in crunch-time play calling or scouting the next generation of talent, Copilot is fast becoming a fixture in the NFL’s competitive toolkit.